Cursed: The Cat Warrior (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter One

Cehiilo Neyrl jerked awake from her nightmare, which had been so vivid, as cool water splashed on her face.

"Get up! You're gonna be late!" Quinn yelled from the doorway.

Cehiilo growled and looked over at her sister. "Are you serious?! You know I hate it when people do that!"

"But it's a school day!" Quinn protested. "And you're gonna be late!"

Cehiilo leaped off the bed and ran to the closet. "My goodness, Quinn! You could have just told me!" she yelped as she struggled to change her clothes.

Quinn started laughing. "Mom's gonna love this..." she said, then sprinted for the stairs.

Cehiilo sighed and finished getting dressed. When she was done she went down the stairs, brushing her hair as she went.

Her mother and father were smirking at her. Quinn had a smug expression on her face as she looked at her phone. Cehiilo narrowed her eyes.

"Please don't tell me she caught that on video."

"She did. She also caught you sleep-talking and trying so hard to change your clothes," her mother snickered.

"What did I say this time?" Cehiilo asked, annoyed.

"Same as usual. Something about a war changing your life," her father sighed.

Cehiilo rolled her eyes. "Yet I can't remember my own dream? Fantastic. Wait, why aren't I in trouble for being late for school?"

"It's Sunday," Quinn snickered. "Not Monday."

Cehiilo glared at her sister. "You better not have posted that on-"

"Upload complete," a robotic voice said.

"-YouTube," Cehiilo finished with a sigh.

"Oh, and happy three-day-early birthday, by the way," Quinn said.

Cehiilo snorted. "You couldn't have said that on my actual birthday? You know, May 18?"

Quinn chuckled. "I was serious when I said we were gonna be late, though. They're showing all the legendary big cats at the zoo today, like the tigers and lions."

Cehiilo felt her eyes grow huge. "We're going?" she asked her parents in astonishment.

Her mom smiled. "Yup! Better hurry and eat-it's your favorite, pancakes!"

Cehiilo wolfed the pancakes down so quickly she wondered if she was even eating them. When she was done, she ran in the bathroom and finished getting ready, then threw on her favorite sweatshirt on the way out.

Quinn and Cehiilo both enjoyed sitting in the back, so the pair got in the back of the century-old Toyota Sienna and started chatting about the upcoming day.

*

It felt like forever before they reached the place, though Cehiilo knew it was only an hour.

Cats were everywhere, most loose and roaming with their heads held high. There were big golden and white ones with dark stripes, the big brown and gold ones with the long hair around their necks... and then there were the smaller ones with the spots and markings.

Tigers. Lions. Leopards. Jaguars?

Cehiilo felt strange, like she'd seen these animals somewhere before. Cautiously, she approached one of the ones she thought of as tigers.

The striped feline turned to her, head raised and looking straight into Cehiilo's eyes. It leaned forward and purred, nosing Cehiilo's hand.

Cehiilo shivered at its touch. It felt so strange, actually being right beside and acknowledged by a legendary animal.